• Rs. 18 crore collected to grease palms of officials
• Wine merchants to observe bandh on Nov. 20
• RTI activist writes to Governor, Chief Minister
• Blames Excise Minister for massive corruption

Bengaluru: Beleaguered Congress Government in the State that is in news for wrong reasons due to multi-crore scam at Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited, site scam at Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and Karnataka State Waqf Board claiming ownership of farm lands and other long held assets of mutts and temples, has a recent addition in the alleged massive corruption at Excise Department.

The Federation of Wine Merchants Association, Karnataka has written a letter to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah alleging that, Excise officials have been harassing wine merchants by collecting ‘Monthly Money.’ Condemning this, the Association has decided to observe Statewide bandh by shutting down wine stores on Nov. 20.

To corroborate this, S.N. Ajith, a Right to Information (RTI) activist has shot off an e-mail to the Office of Chief Minister, Governor, Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly R. Ashoka and others, accusing Excise Minister R.B. Thimmapur for the rot.

The Office of the Excise Minister is being misused to collect bribe from the staff and officers of Excise Department posted in Bengaluru for transferring them. They are collecting Rs. 40 lakh from Excise Inspectors posted in Bengaluru city limits and Rs. 25 lakh from the Excise Superintendents posted outside Bengaluru. The officers have collected Rs. 18 crore, of which Rs. 13 crore has reached the hands of Excise Minister Thimmapur, alleged Ajith in his e-mail.